Noadiah, a False Prophetess

Who is Noadiah and why is she considered to be a false prophetess? Noadiah means witness, ornament, of the Lord. She is only mentioned once in the Bible in Nehemiah 6:14. Nehemiah wrote “My God, remember Tobiah and Sanballat, according to these their works, and the prophetess Noadiah and the rest of the prophets who would have made me afraid” (Nehemiah 6:14, NKJ). The only thing we know about her is that she was part of a group who opposed Nehemiah when he wanted to rebuild Jerusalem which earlier had been destroyed by the Babylonians.

Even though they tried to make him afraid, Nehemiah and the others did finish the walls. Tobiah and Sanballat wanted to harm Nehemiah before he finished the walls because they were afraid of the rumors, they had heard pertaining to the walls being built. They thought they were building the walls so they could proclaim a king. Tobiah and Sanballat had sent messengers to Nehemiah so they could meet but Nehemiah never met them.

Noadiah must have been important because she is mentioned by name instead of the prophets when Nehemiah prays to God. We do not know why she opposed Nehemiah. We may not know anything about her, but we do know that there is a reason for God to have her mentioned in the Bible.